Caleb chuckled at the overused expression but tapped his bottle against Jesse’s anyway.
Chapter 23
Angel woke just as the sun was rising and found herself wrapped in Caleb’s arms, his nose buried in the crook of her neck. He was still sleeping; his even breaths tickled her skin, and she could feel how completely relaxed he was lying next to her. It made Angel wonder if maybe he had some inkling that they were Mates. She’d read Alpha males had an especially hard time relaxing around people who aren’t family; their human sides might relax, but the wolf would still remain alert.
Glancing at the clock, Angel saw they still had about two hours before the conference started for the day. Turning so she was facing Caleb, Angel reached her hands up, tracing his lips, then the curve of his jawline. Feeling brave, she let her hands wander further; down to his chest, she skimmed her palms against his pecs and abs, the fine hairs tickling her skin. As she reached lower, Angel sensed a change in his breathing; he was awake now, but he kept his eyes closed. Leaning closer, Angel pressed a kiss to his collarbone, working her way up his throat, trailing kisses as she went. She took his earlobe into her mouth, sucking gently, and he tightened his arms around her. She chuckled.
“Good morning.”
“With a wake up like that, it most certainly is,” he replied, opening his eyes and trailing his hand down her arm.
“How were your meetings last night?” Angel asked, stretching her arms over head, thoroughly enjoying the patterns he was drawing on her skin with his finger.
“Far too long,” Caleb replied, pulling her underneath him. She could feel his cock pressing against her thigh, and she arched her back to press her breasts against his chest. He growled deep in his throat. “Angel,” he cautioned.
“I’ve already told you,” she reminded him, “I’m not nearly as fragile as you think.”
“And I’m not always as gentle as I seem,” he told her, sliding his knee between her legs.
“Prove it,” Angel goaded him, wanting to see what he was like when he really let himself go.
Instead of responding to her prodding, Caleb leaned forward, kissing her gently but passionately. All thoughts abandoned her, and Angel wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss just as passionately. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, then pulled off her panties. He sat back to admire the view for a moment, then leaned forward, taking a nipple into his mouth. Angel arched her back at the feeling, burying her fingers in his hair while he teased her with his mouth and tongue. Before too long, Angel was beyond ready to have him inside her. Pulling gently on his hair, she made him face her.
“Pants off,” she demanded. He grinned at her, complying quickly, but when he climbed back onto the bed, he hesitated when she sat up and moved away from him. “Lie on your back,” she told him.
He hesitated - he probably wasn’t used to taking orders - but as he lay on his back, Angel could have sworn he was even more turned on than before. Straddling his waist, Angel took his cock in her hand, guiding it gently and lowering herself onto it slowly. He groaned out loud as she took his whole length inside her, reaching for her hips. She slapped away his hands.
“Nope,” she scolded, “it’s my turn now.”
Caleb had never enjoyed doing what other people told him to do, but when Angel gave him orders, he was more than happy to obey. Even more surprising, he found the fact that she was taking charge incredibly arousing. But he wasn’t going to admit that to her - at least not in so many words.
“You do realize bossing an Alpha around is not generally a good idea, right?” he asked, his voice thick with lust.
Angel rocked her hips, forward, then back, and his whole body tensed.
“I do,” she replied, “but I’ll take my chances.”
Before he could reply, she started moving again, rocking her hips forward and back, sliding herself up and down. She varied the pace - first slow, then fast, then slow again - until he was clenching his jaw to keep from shouting out loud. She felt so damn good riding his cock, and the view of her breasts bouncing up and down would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life. Fighting his Alpha tendencies, Caleb had to grip the mattress to keep from flipping her over and taking control. He knew she probably wouldn’t care if he took control, but he desperately wanted to see this to its glorious end. After what seemed like mere seconds, her whole body tensed, and she came quickly, tightly squeezing his cock. She cried out, flinging her head back, and his orgasm slammed into him suddenly. He growled, pushing his hips upward and grabbing her hips. After a minute or so, Angel collapsed against his chest, breathing heavily. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
“Okay,” he admitted, “that was definitely a good idea.”
Chapter 24
After the rather spectacular start to her day, very little could bother Angel. As expected, Matt was still a jerk, Jesse was still entertaining, and all the wolves attending the conference watched with varying degrees of suspicion. Much like the first day, she alternated between perimeter sweeps and bodyguard duty for Jonathan. Caleb stole her away for lunch again, and despite the strange looks they were getting from his fellow wolves, he was surprisingly affectionate with her.
“Cut it out, you two,” Jesse teased, grabbing a chair and joining them. “All that mushy stuff is going to make me hurl.”
“Then don’t watch,” Caleb told him, “problem solved.”
“Easier said than done,” Jesse said. “Anyway, you two coming to the gym tonight?”
“Gym?” Angel asked.
“Yeah,” Jesse said, “gives everyone a chance to work off any extra energy or aggression.”
Angel gave Caleb a quick look, wondering why he hadn’t bothered to tell her about the gym.
“First I’ve heard of it,” she told Jesse, “but I’m guessing it might not be a good idea for me to go.”
“Nonsense,” Jesse exclaimed, “you’ll be fine. Between Caleb, me, and my dad, no one will bother you. Besides, Caleb keeps going on and on about your fighting skills. I wanna see what the fuss is all about.”
“Not a chance,” Caleb told him. The finality in his tone rubbed Angel the wrong way, so she ignored him.
“You want to fight me?” Angel asked Jesse.
“Yeah,” Jesse replied. “I mean, I did, but Caleb doesn’t seem too keen on the idea.”
“Last I checked, Caleb wasn’t the boss of me,” Angel remarked. “I’m in. Where and when?”
Jesse grinned. “Excellent,” he said. “We’re planning on going after dinner, so just meet us out front, and we’ll all go together.”
“I’ll be there.”
“You’re not seriously going to fight him, are you?” Caleb asked as Jesse left them alone.
“Why not?” Angel replied. “It’s just a friendly sparring match.”
“He’s a wolf,” Caleb explained, “and he’s a damn good fighter.”
“So am I,” Angel told him, “and I’m a witch, too, so I think I’ll be just fine.”
Caleb huffed once, then ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”
“Nope.”
“Fine, but I’m going with you.”
“Okay.”
Despite the fact that Caleb still tried to convince her not to go, they met up with Jesse and Jonathan after dinner. Jonathan explained that they had rented an empty warehouse just down the street, so they walked the short distance, arriving at the large, well-lit building in minutes.
Angel wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but when they walked inside, she was thoroughly impressed with what she saw. There were ten sparring rings set up, complete with thick mats laid out on the concrete floor, and a row of punching bags along one wall.
“Wow,” Angel told Jesse, “this is pretty cool.”
“And necessary,” Jonathan told her, “wolves don’t do well stuck inside for too long.”
At the far end of
the building, near the other entrance, she noticed Matt berating a pair of wolves who were in various states of undress. The large open space made it easy for them to hear what he was saying.
“The rules are clear - no shifting and running loose. If you can’t manage a week without shifting, you shouldn’t be here.”
One of the offenders seemed to think it was a good idea to try and argue. “But –”
“No buts.” Matt’s tone was deadly serious. “You’ve lost gym privileges for the rest of the week. If you have a problem with any of the rules, you can go right ahead and take it up with Alpha Pike.”
The two wolves glanced nervously in Jonathan’s direction for just a moment, then gathered up the rest of their clothes and scurried off.
“No shifting?” Angel asked, looking to Jonathan.
“We decided it was too risky,” he explained. “It’s not common for the conference, but it’s necessary on occasion. Everyone will manage.”
She nodded. It made sense - if everyone shifted and went for a run, it would be easy for vampires and zombies to pick them off one by one.
“C’mon, Angel,” Jesse beckoned, motioning to one of the empty sparring rings, “we can grab a ring before it gets too busy.”
“I still don’t like this idea,” Caleb announced.
“Relax, Caleb,” Angel patted his arm reassuringly, “Jesse isn’t going to hurt me.”
“He most certainly will not,” Caleb insisted, giving Jesse a meaningful glare.
“Seriously?” Angel exclaimed loudly. “This Alpha male, overprotective bullshit is getting annoying.” Caleb gave her a meaningful look. “Alright, how about this,” she began, “you can spar with me first.”
“How would that help anything?” Caleb asked.
“Because,” Angel explained, “then you would know for certain I can hold my own against a wolf, and you won’t be so worried about Jesse hurting me - even by accident.”
Caleb seemed to consider her suggestion for a moment, but Angel had noticed the flash of wolf in his eyes and the way his scent changed. He was definitely going to say yes, he just didn’t want her to realize how much her suggestion had excited him.
“Alright,” Caleb said, with a nod.
“I’d tell you not to go easy on me, but I know I’d just be wasting my breath,” Angel said, sitting down on the mat and removing her shoes.
“I have nearly a foot, and probably a hundred pounds on you,” Caleb told her, “ignoring the fact that I’m a wolf, you’d still be outmatched. Of course I’m going to go easy on you.”
“Outmatched?” Angel repeated, a wry smile turning up her mouth on one side. “If you say so.”
Angel set her shoes and socks to the side, then pulled off her sweater. She was wearing workout clothes - yoga pants, sports bra, and T-shirt - all in black. Stepping onto the mat, she did a few quick stretches while Caleb removed his shoes, then his shirt. She tried not to think about how yummy he looked in just a pair of sweatpants, but it was tricky. Caleb must have noticed her watching him, because he winked at her and laughed.
“If you want,” he said, “we could always go back to the hotel and get our exercise another way.”
Angel blushed, and Jesse faked retching from the side of the mat.
“Please tell me this isn’t going to turn into some sort of love fest - because if it is, the both of you should just take it outside.”
Angel stuck out her tongue at him, then took up a fighter’s stance: arms up, feet shoulder width apart, balanced on the balls of her feet. Caleb mimicked her pose, and they began to circle each other. She tried to focus, to remember the times she’d seen him fight before. Unfortunately, Angel hadn’t really seen Caleb fight in his human form, which left her with very little to work with. The obvious place to start would be using his size against him - larger fighters tended just to plow through their opponents instead of being more skilled. Larger fighters were also usually slower, and less flexible.
Figuring she could use her speed to feel him out and get a better sense of his fighting style, Angel darted forward, feinting a right hook. Caleb dodged easily, stepping back and circling around to her left side. He kicked out with his right leg, but he pulled it back before it made contact, throwing himself slightly off balance. Angel saw her opening and took it, striking his side with her fist, jumping around him, and landing another punch to his back.
Caleb grunted slightly at the impact but quickly regained his balance and turned to face her. He reached out with one hand, grabbing for her arm, but she spun quickly and landed a hard kick to the back of his thigh. He turned quickly, sweeping out his leg to try and knock her off her feet. Angel dodged the leg, but he managed to wrap a hand around her upper arm, pulling her towards him. She struck - hard and fast - with her free arm, landing blows on his nose, sternum, and stomach. At the same time, her heel slammed down on the top of his foot. He released her quickly, stepping back and inhaling sharply, pressing the heel of his palm to his nose. Angel was pretty sure she’d broken it but wasn’t too worried since she knew wolves could heal something like that in minutes. Reaching up with his other hand, Caleb wiggled his nose slightly, putting it back in place.
“That kinda hurt,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Still wanna go easy on me?” Angel asked.
He didn’t answer, just resumed his stance. They circled each other again, and this time Caleb made the first move. He swung his first forward, aiming for her shoulder; Angel started to dodge the blow out of reflex before deciding it might be better if he was able to get past his fear of hurting her. Stepping forward slightly, she took the hit. The force was enough to knock her back a step, but he was clearly pulling his punches. Not wanting to give him a chance to second-guess his actions, Angel stepped forward, landing several blows to his torso. Caleb stumbled back slightly, and Angel swore she could pinpoint the moment he decided going easy on her was a bad idea. He feinted left, then charged her, ducking her defensive punches, grabbing her upper arm, and pulling her off balance. Before she was able to regain her footing, Caleb circled behind her, wrapping his arms around her torso and pinning Angel’s arms to her sides. She struggled for a moment, testing his grip, but it was pretty solid.
“Give up?” Caleb whispered in her ear.
“Fat chance,” Angel replied haughtily.
After that, the sparring match was much more fun. Caleb stopped trying to baby her, and she got to show off her skills. Eventually, they called it a draw, and Jesse replaced Caleb for another match. Sparring with Jesse was a different kind of fun; he had less hand-to-hand combat training, but his instincts were still good. Eventually, when they were both breathing heavily and sweating, they wrapped up their match and left the mat to someone else. Caleb handed her a bottle of water and towel, smiling warmly and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
“I’m sorry I doubted your abilities,” he told her, “you’re a pretty good fighter.”
“You, too,” Angel replied, winking at him.
They found a reasonably quiet place to sit and watch some of the other sparring matches, and the general flow of people coming and going. Several of the matches got heated, drawing large crowds. Most of them ended safely on their own, but at least one had to be broken up by Jonathan. A few hours after their arrival, they decided to head back to the hotel, so they texted Jesse to let him know they were leaving and walked out into the cool night air. They made it a short way down the road when familiar voices caught their attention.
“Look,” Matt said, “I’m just trying to keep everyone safe. Jonathan won’t discuss it with me any further, but maybe if you talk to him, he’ll reconsider.”
“This is just because she’s a witch, Matt. You have no idea what she’s capable of.”
“Regardless of what she is, that’s exactly the problem,” Matt insisted. “She’s an unknown variable, and I can’t be certain of my security plans with her in the mix.”
They turned a corner, and both males fell silent as
they realized who had walked up on their conversation. Matt frowned at them, and Jesse looked apologetic.
“Let’s go,” Caleb said, trying to urge her forward.
“No.”
“Don’t worry about it, Angel,” Jesse told her, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“It’s fine.” She turned to face Matt. “I actually agree with you on your last point.”
“You do?”
“You do?” Caleb parroted.
“If I was at work and they told me I could pick a team to work with but kept sending random agents I knew nothing about to work with me, I’d be frustrated, too. It’s hard to put yourself in a dangerous situation when you don’t know if your team can even take care of themselves.”
Matt crossed his arms, looking smug.
“So you’ll leave?”
“Nope.” Angel gave him a grin. “We’re going to fight, and I’m going to prove to you I’m not a liability. Let’s go.”
She turned on her heel and headed back to the warehouse, the wolves hot on her heels. Caleb pulled her to a stop a few feet from the door, concern showing on his face.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.”
“Matt’s not going to pull any punches.”
“Neither am I.” She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Trust me.”
Caleb hesitated a moment, then nodded and released her arm.
“Okay,” he said. “Don’t make me regret this.”
They headed inside, and Jesse quickly commandeered a ring. Matt pulled off his shoes and shirt, stretching slightly.
“Terms?” he asked.
“Match goes until someone yields or someone can’t continue.”
“Agreed. Stakes?”
“If you win, I’ll leave in the morning. If I win, you’ll pay for my new blades.”
“Fine.” He turned and headed for the center of the ring.
Angel pulled off her shoes and stretched quickly, noticing they were already drawing a crowd. Just as she was about to step onto the mat, Caleb leaned in close and whispered in her ear.
Burned: Wild Magic Book 2 Page 11
